Ryoko slumped forward as the scan finished playing. She shook her head wearily, taking deep breaths to help fight down her anger and sorrow. The pirate gripped the edges of the table and growled, crushing what was in her hand. She turned to look up at Mihoshi and Kiyone again.
"Washu couldn't do anything?" she asked.
"Every cell was dead," Kiyone said. "Maybe she could make a clone, but..."
"It wouldn't be Tenchi, right," Ryoko finished angrily. "She always has the answers doesn't she." There was silence for a long moment.
"Do you have any idea where Nagi would be?" Kiyone asked finally.
"Don't worry about Nagi," Ryoko said, standing up with her fists clenched. "She's dead."
"Ryoko, you didn't," Mihoshi whispered.
"No, she ain't yet," Ranma said.
"I don't need the back-up, Ranma," Ryoko growled.
"This has to be done right," Kiyone insisted.
"There's a bounty on her head," Ryoko reminded them sharply. "A royal bounty. She's open season. And she should die just for the fact that it was Sasami," Ryoko slapped her hand hard on the table. "Who issued it." Ryoko walked out of the restaurant.
"Sorry 'bout this," Ranma said, standing up and following after Ryoko. He waved to Ukyou and Ryouga on his way out. "Later guys. Gotta make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
"That's almost the definition of Ryoko's attitude," Mihoshi muttered as Ranma left. Kiyone gave her a sharp look.
"Yeah," Ukyou agreed walking over to the table. "I've noticed she's as bad as Ranma."
"As bad as Ranma?" Kiyone repeated.
"Oh yeah," Ukyou said. "Ranma's pretty well known for hair-braned schemes and thinking with his fists."
"Well, before Jusendo anyway," Ryouga said quietly. Ukyou's smile vanished and returned hesitantly.
"What's Jusendo?" Kiyone asked, not liking where this was going.
"A spring of magical water," Ryouga said.
"Something happened there?" Kiyone asked. Ukyou pointed at the player.
"Sort of like what I think was on that," Ukyou said. Kiyone paled.
"Is he....safe?" Kiyone asked.
"Would he do anything to Ryoko?" Mihoshi asked nervously.
"Well, he kept her from drinking," Ukyou said, then flinched. Ryouga blinked. "Uh oh."
"That was Ranma's fault!" Ryouga shouted and started for the door, snapping the leash. "Ranma prepare to die!" Ryouga and Mihoshi snapped to their feet at the same time Ukyou moved to intercept Ryouga, slicing her spatula in the way.
"Are you still in high school!?" Ukyou demanded.
"But, I was covered in sake!" Ryouga whined.
"You want to postpone the wedding again?" Ukyou demanded. "Really, have your fun with Ranma after our honeymoon."
"Fun?" Mihoshi and Kiyone repeated.
"By that time I'll have forgotten about this," Ryouga said. Ukyou stared at for a moment and then burst out laughing, collapsing to the ground. "What did I say?"
"Didn't you say he was going to kill that other guy?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well, yeah," Ryouga said, scratching the back of his head. "But it wouldn't feel right if I didn't." Kiyone nodded.
"Yeee-ah," Kiyone said.
"Forgotten..." Ukyou gasped through peals of laughter. "...by YOU?!" Ryouga sweatdropped.
"I think we're missing something here, Kiyone," Mihoshi said.
"Back off," Ryoko snapped without turning around. "I don't need a babysitter."
"Sure you do," Ranma said. "You're wide open."
"Shut up, Ranma," Ryoko growled. "I want to be alone!" She whirled around, with a punch leading and frowned as Ranma lightly sidestepped the strike. She growled and threw another, Ranma ducked past it again and lightly pushed on her elbow to bring her past him.
"You feeling okay?" Ranma asked seriously. She's used to more reach.
"Just fine," Ryoko growled twirling out her arm. "It's closed." She swung hard and wide again, and jabbed as Ranma ducked under the strike. The martial artist intercepted it and directed it past him again. Rolled past Ryoko and stood up behind her.
"Do you always fight like this?" he asked, shaking his head. Her footwork is improving. Though it can't do much more than improve. It's like she's never fought on her feet before.
"Would you get out of my face!?" Ryoko turned around and faced off full with Ranma before attacking the martial artist with what was going to be a series of fast jabs. Ranma caught the third and fourth strikes and turned Ryoko around away from him. "Let go of me, asshole!"
"Are you gonna stop acting like an idiot?" Ranma asked.
"Fuck you, Ranma," Ryoko snapped. Ranma let go as she pulled against him. "I don't need this self-righteous crap."
"Who's being self-righteous?" Ranma asked. "This is stupid and pointless."
"Yeah, what would you know about it?" Ryoko snapped. Ranma frowned and crossed his arms. "Everything I've seen says that when something happens, you clam up. All cool control, no passion! No rage!"
"I need ta show you somethin'" Ranma said quietly.
"Pathetic," Nagi growled as she watched Ranma dance around Ryoko. It was hardly like the vicious pirate Ryoko had been when she'd first seen the woman. She closed her eyes and remembered.
"You don't seem very nervous considering this is first raid, officer Inagi." She looked up to see the raid commander looking at her with a sense of amusement.
"Should I be nervous?" she asked honestly.
"We'll be heading into heavy combat soon," he said. "And you aren't breaking a sweat."
"I don't think anything is going to happen to me, sir," she said confidentaly. "They'll probably fold before I get a shot in."
"We'll see about that, officer." he raid commander smiled.
Contact hadn't even been made when things went wrong. Some sort of explosion rocked the pirate stronghold, and suddenly the guards were on full alert. Pirate forces appeared from the surrounding hills as the fire fight started and battle broke up into a confused mass of laser fire and assorted explosions.
"They were set up for us, Aoi" Koji said. They had come through the academy and the special units training together. He was probably the only one outside of personnel and command that actually knew her proper name. He was certainly the only one she let use it.
"Don't be stupid," Ken snapped, he was the third of their splinter of the original raid. She hadn't been wasting her breath on speech, listening as she went through the rapid ritual of point, click and boom.
"I heard some of them talking about it," Koji insisted, firing on some laser drones that were trying to get an aerial position on them. "Somebody in command called it in, I heard a name."
"Talk about that later!" Hisato, the fourth and last of them insisted. "It won't matter if we don't survive."
"Shoot, don't talk," she had insisted. Koji cried out in pain behind them. Before any of them could turn to see what had hit him there was an explosion that knocked them all off their feet.
Inagi rolled up, snapping a few shots toward the known enemy positions to discourage them approaching, and saw Ken neatly being slashed in threes pieces by a girl, no more than six years Inagi's junior, with a red energy sword. Her face gleamed demonically under a mane of silver hair.
Hisato lay motionless on the ground to the side, and Koji lay dead. A massive hole burned through his chest.
"Damn you!" she had shouted and fired at the killer.
The laser fire sparked harmlessly off a field of force around the girl. She lifted her free hand out toward Inagi and a crackle of red energy appeared and rocketed past Inagi. It exploded somewhere behind her, the explosion flavored by the sounds of human screams and several small explosions as combat drones were caught in the explosion.
It was then that the cabbit on the girl's shoulder leaped into the air, and the girl vanished as soon as the great spiky ship took form.
"Inagi, over here!" she turned angrily to see Hisato awake and trying to stand. "Hurry before more come!"
"She must have been from a rival gang," Hisato had said in the lonely trip back to headquarters. The pirate gang had been destroyed, but the cost had been nearly all the raid's personnel. "Funny how she let you live." Inagi stared at him, not liking the way he had said it.
Months into a long investigation into police corruption, Inagi walked out of the headquarters a civilian. She was one of the lot that they had given the option to retire. There was no real evidence against her, just some hearsay about how she felt safe on the mission and how her life had been spared. The could make her life impossible if she stayed on though.
All because of this the new pirate. Ryoko.
Ken-Ohki blinked at the memory that Nagi had dredged up. That was something new to his experience. He didn't like that at all.
"Miao," the cabbit inquired.
"You were wondering why I hate her?" Nagi answered quietly. "There's your answer."
"Miao!" Ken-Ohki insisted.
"If people get in the way," Nagi left the end of the comment hanging.
Ryoko felt a chill as they approached the cemetary. That was a good thing about space, there were rarely any burial places. The ship Sasami had disappeared into was about the closest thing she had ever run across.
"Something wrong?" Ranma ask as Ryoko hesitated to follow into the cemetary.
"These places always give me the creeps," Ryoko explained. Ryo-Ohki popped into existence and lighted on her shoulder.
"Miaooo," Ryo-Ohki asserted.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "I always thought so too." He walked through the gates.
"Really?" Ryoko asked irritably as she followed him. Probably not for the same reason.
Ranma walked along the path stopping at a particular grave, kneeling down, almost praying. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki came up behind him. She checked the name on the tombstone and wasn't surprised to see Akane Tendo written there.
"This is her?" Ryoko asked. Ranma frowned, then bowed to the tombstone and stood up.
"I hope she doesn't mind this," Ranma said.
"Mind what?" Ryoko asked. "Me being here?"
"What else?" Ranma asked irritably.
"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Ryoko asked, she was getting impatient.
"It was my fault," Ranma said quietly, he touched the tombstone.
"So it's your fault this girl died," Ryoko said. "But it's not my fault that Tenchi died?" Ranma sighed in frustration and looked down.
"Everybody thinks Saffron got one last shot off," Ranma said.
"I'm going to tear you to pieces!" Ranma yelled. A sudden twister erupted around the martial artist as he made use of the fire all around him to start a Hiryu Shoten Ha.
"You think that technique will work against someone like Saffron, landling?" Saffron asked, laughing loud and condescendingly. Another twister joined the first, and another soon after. "It does not matter how many of these pitiful attacks you create, landling! I'll not let you touch the Jusendo water!"
The battle raged for several more minutes before Ranma hit upon focusing the hiryu shoten ha into a virtual spear of air to kill Saffron. He ran with Akane towards the Jusendo taps. All around them raged fire and tornados, tearing at the surrounding cliffsides. Ranma had to watch as the wind carried the fire and rocks into the Jusendo taps, demolishing them completely.
"It was an accident," Ryoko said after a long silence.
"I might as well have killed her with my own hands," Ranma said. He growled the next sentence. "I know what rage is. It took everything from me."
"It was an accident!" Ryoko shouted. "From what you said she was dead anyway, rhe eyes closed or something right?"
"It still might have worked," Ranma insisted.
"And that's why you act like a zombie?" Ryoko shook her head in mild disgust.
"Akane died because of my blunder," Ranma said. "At least your Tenchi died trying to protect you."
"He wasn't there for me," Ryoko snapped. Then she continued under her breath. "He was there for Ayeka." Ranma looked at her strangely.
"You just don't get it do you?" Ranma asked.
"Don't get what?" Ryoko asked dangerously.
"Didn't you hear what that Kogata..."
"His name was Kagato," Ryoko corrected him.
"Whatever. Did you hear what the creep was saying?" Ranma asked. "He set that all up just to get a chance to fight your guy. Didja wanna wait for that asshole to work his way down the list to you before Tenchi did something? That kinda person ain't worth a grain."
"What, you're saying he wasn't there for Ayeka?" Ryoko's voice sounded slightly more angry actually, as if Ranma had just suggested that Tenchi had gone to fight for the fun of it.
"I'm saying he was there to protect you all," Ranma explained. "Just because you rescue someone doesn't mean yer going to marry them. Damn, I shouldn't be talking about this here."
"You mean even if he went to rescue Ayeka," Ryoko said quietly. "He might have loved me?"
"I don't know," Ranma said. "I didn't know the guy. But yeah that's what I said sorta."
Ryoko thought back to the corridor of the Yagami and Tenchi telling her that he'd love to go on a trip with her. He couldn't just forsake Ayeka though. The thought that Tenchi may have loved her over Ayeka warmed her somewhat, but it was tainted. Now the loss was that much greater.
"Thanks, I feel so much better now," Ryoko said dryly. Ranma shrugged and knelt back in front of the tombstone.kissing the stone and the bowing again.
"We should go," Ranma said. "And stop bothering Akane like this." The wind rose a little around them, slapping coldly into Ranma's face and rustling the leaves in the trees. "See, she's already getting impatient."
"It was just a little breeze," Ryoko said before she noticed the strained smile on Ranma's face. The wind settled around them with a sound that mirrored the frustration Ryoko was feeling. "Is the lesson through for the day?"
"Yeah," Ranma said standing up and brushing himself off. "Let's go."
Kuno looked around the forested area trying to spot any sign of his quarry. What he did see convinced him that, yes indeed, the foul sorcerer had been here.
"The demon has used foul magics to create behemoth monsters from the various fauna of these woods!" Kuno declared, brandishing his bokken at a giant lizard. "For the sake of all virtuousness I must vanquish these foul minions!"
Kuno charged forward. Ten steps out he fell through the ground and was smashed between a number of boards. Within another instant several rocks came pouring down on his head.
"I wonder if perhaps the fair Kasumi Tendo does not approve of me," Kuno wondered momentarily as he climbed out. "No, I must be mistaken. Clearly the evil wizard expected me to follow him. Surely he fears to face my challenge to avenge the fallen Akane."
"Hey you!" somebody shouted behind him. Kuno turned around to face a man wielding a broom. "Go back! You shouldn't be here!"
"I am here to track the vile sorcerer Ranma Saotome," Kuno declared. "Obviously he has worked his foul magic on these forest creatures and made them monsters to do his bidding."
"Actually its the water of life that does that," the man with the broom said. "But I know that name from somewhere. Anyway, you shouldn't be here, go back to where you came from!!!"
"I see, obviously you are also a vile sorcerer that Ranma has enlisted to cover his escape from the righteous fury of my vengeance!" Kuno shouted.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" the man with the broom yelled suddenly, as if he had just noticed Kuno. "You should go back to where you came from, it isn't safe here!"
"If you will not let me pass," Kuno shouted. "Then I must make you move!" Kuno charged forward.
"Ahh, you're finally home," Nodoka said cheerfully as Ryoko and Ranma walked in.
"Uh oh," Ranma whispered as he noted his mother's expression. "Mom, whatever you got planned, can it wait until later?" Ryoko didn't like the sound of that.
"I just realized that I have been unintentionally insulting your wife," Nodoka said without paying attention to Ranma.
"We're not really married," Ryoko growled. "It was a clerical error which will be fixed in just one or two more days."
"As I was saying I should have given more thought to the situation," Nodoka continued. "So tonight Ryoko-chan..."
"...chan?" Ryoko repeated in shock.
"Miao?"
"Mom's weird," Ranma explained.
"Tonight I will allow you to cook the evening meal," Nodoka said, smiling. "Ranma and Genma both have large appetites, so perhaps you should cook for..."
"Ehh?" Ryoko blinked. That's a privilege?
"Uhh...Mom," Ranma said.
"Ten people," Nodoka said finally. "No, make that twenty, this is a special occasion."
"How is this a special occasion?" Ryoko demanded.
"Well, I must explain matters to your father," Nodoka said turning around and walking into the house.
"Did she hear anything we said?" Ryoko asked.
"No," Ranma said, exasperated.
"Miao?"
"No, we probably won't get food unless Ryoko cooks," Ranma said. The cabbit and Ryoko both seemed to grimace. "You can't cook?"
"What do you think of instant meals?" Ryoko asked.
"I've had worse," Ranma said, being curiously nostalgic. He looked at the cabbit. "All you ever eat is carrots, what's your problem?"
"Miao, miaooo." Ryo-Ohki said with a shiver.
"They make processed carrots?" Ranma said.
"Do you think bad cooking will get your mother off our backs?" Ryoko asked.
"I don't know, maybe," Ranma shrugged. "We could tr..." Two stomachs growled and two people started weighing the benefits of trying to get Nodoka off their backs and having a good meal. Food won.
"We could try ordering out and saying I made it," Ryoko suggested.
"She'd catch it. But....uhh, I can cook," Ranma said hesitantly. Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko stared at him for a moment. "What?"
"Miao." Ryoko nodded.
"I am not effeminate," Ranma protested.
"Wait," Ryoko said. Stomachs growled again. "Never mind, after dinner."
"I'm going to show Ryoko where everything is," Ranma called out. "Okay mom?"
"That's nice of you to help your wife in the kitchen, Ranma," Nodoka responded.
"Look she's turning you into a weakling house-servant already boy!" Genma shouted. There was the sound of drawing steel, and then Genma shut up.
"Is all this really worth just one meal?" Ryoko asked. They considered the question for a moment.
"Yes," was the unanimous decision.
"Okay, so what am I cooking?" Ryoko asked.
"Teriyaki chicken and rice with steamed vegetables," Ranma said.
"Is that all you can cook?" Ryoko guessed.
"Of course not," Ranma said. He continued under his breath. "But if Ukyou hears I've been making okonomiyaki she'll have my head."
Nodoka stood outside the kitchen and smiled in satisfaction as she listened to Ranma and Ryoko plotting and cooking. Her plan was working perfectly. All she had to make sure of was that her idiot husband didn't get in the way.
"Our son is helping in the kitchen," Genma said. "I hope you are aware of that."
"Yes, I think its very manly to want to help his wife get used to a new kitchen," Nodoka asserted. "I hope nothing gets in the way, it would be a shame to miss dinner." Genma stared at her a moment, and the gears in his head started to turn.
Nodoka says Ryoko must cook, Ryoko doesn't cook, no food, Genma thought.
No food means NO FOOD!! "I shall endeavour that no-one interferes with the cooking of the day's dinner!" He declared loudly.
"That's fine dear," Nodoka said. "But all I ask is that you leave them alone. Excuse me." She stood up and walked to the phone.
"You and that panda can't really eat this much food can you?" Ryoko asked as the meal started to take shape. "I can't even eat that much."
"Umm, actually," Ranma said nervously. "No. Mom knows that we can't eat this much. I wonder..."
"Why did she ask me to make so much then?" Ryoko asked cautiously. They heard the front door open and close again. "They're going in and out a lot."
"Wait a minute," Ranma said. "Could you keep an eye on that?" He pointed to the stove.
"Yeah sure," Ryoko said. "I can watch it cook, easy." Ranma walked to the kitchen door and opened it looking out into the dining room. He came back a moment later looking very irritated.
"You should see this," Ranma said. Ryoko frowned and followed Ranma to the door and peeked out at the crowd of people.
"Ohhh, shit," Ryoko said, shocked.
"Oh, Ryoko-chan," Nodoka piped up cheerfully. "Is dinner almost ready? The guests are waiting."
"Mom, who all's here?" Ranma asked.
"Well, Kasumi and that nice doctor of hers, Nabiki and her...friend, Ukyou, Ryouga, they brought some friends of your wife's by the way," Nodoka paused.
"Kiyone and Mihoshi are here too?" Ryoko groaned.
"That Tarou fellow and the serious girl with the rugbeater," Nodoka said. "Did you know they have a phone in that temple up there? Soun and his new wife. Kodachi-chan and...you are certain that ninja person is a boy, Ranma?"
"Yes," Ranma said, somewhat shell-shocked.
"The Amazons of course," Nodoka said. "That charming little girl's sister and her husband are here as well."
"Perhaps I should have asked who wasn't here," Ranma grumbled.
"Well, you two should really hurry with the food," Nodoka said. "It is not polite for the hosts to keep the guests waiting."
"Right," Ryoko said, eye twitching angrily. Ranma and Ryoko backed there way into the kitchen. "She tricked us."
"Yep," Ranma said. "We're trapped."
"Want to run out the back and find somewhere to hide for two days?" Ryoko asked.
"You don't want to know what will happen if that group is promised food that is not delivered," Ranma said.
"We'll just have to make sure that everybody is aware that we are NOT staying married," Ryoko said reluctantly.
"Do you think that will work?" Ranma said doubtfully.
"Just finish the cooking and let's get this over with," Ryoko snapped.
"So fem-boy finally woke up and got back in the game, eh?" Tarou called out as Ranma and Ryoko started bringing the food out. The girl next to him sent an elbow into his gut.
"I am pleased to see you feeling better, Ranma-san," Natsume said. "And congratulations."
"Congratulations Ryoko!" Mihoshi yelled cheerfully. Sitting next to her Kiyone had her head in her hand, and was shaking her head. "Gee they don't seem too happy."
"I go through all that trouble," Ryuu Kumon said, he was sitting with Lin Lin. "And you're already off the market." He sounded a little disappointed. Ran Ran pouted.
"I wonder why," Kiyone said as the comments continued going around. Why did I come to this? Oh yeah, keeping an eye on Ryoko.
"Excuse me," a girl with brown hair and glasses said, catching Kiyone's attention.
"Yes?" Kiyone asked, trying to beat down her developing headache.
"How long have you and your girlfriend been together?" Chigako asked.
"My girlfriend?" Kiyone repeated.
"Oh, Kiyone and I have been partners for years," Mihoshi chimed in. "Since the academy."
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped.
"You two must really cae about each other," Nabiki said smirking.
"Oh yes," Mihoshi nodded, hugging a mortified Kiyone. "We'd do anything for each other."
"Mihoshi...." Kiyone whined desperately.
Gee, thanks Mom, Ranma thought as the dinner turned into a collection of random conversations. Most of them were trying to involve him, Ryoko or both. I'll have to remember this when you hit forty.
If I get stuck in this relationship, Ryoko thought. I hope she likes babysitting. Though she was amused by the situation Mihoshi was putting Kiyone in.
Nagi watched the party with something akin to anxiety, which was new for her. According to Ken-Ohki a number of the people that arrived carried large amounts of a power similar to the Jurai. Ranma most of all of them, but she had already known about him. Then there was Ryoko's power added into all that.
She would never imagined that a mudball like Earth could produce people of such power. And an investigator like Makibi was not a lightweight threat either.
"If they plan on cooperating against me," Nagi whispered. "I'll have to change my plans."